Post navigation

On The Vault (the history blog for Slate magazine), historian Peter Manseau recounts the history of the 1907 Bellingham riots in Washington state, in which Sikh laborers were attacked and driven out of the town’s lumber industry by mobs of white men: As reported across the country, in September 1907, a mob of disgruntled white workers rounded up hundreds of Sikhs, beat them in the street, and then forced them out of town. Many went north to British Columbia; others went […]

In a recent speech at Georgetown University on February 12, FBI Director James B. Comey spoke about race relations as it pertains to law enforcement, citing recent events in which law enforcement has engaged communities of color. “Much of our history is not pretty,” Comey said. “At many points in American history, law enforcement enforced the status quo, a status quo that was often brutally unfair to disfavored groups.” FBI Director James Comey. (Source: Washington Post via @mboorstein) While Comey speaks […]

The Sikh Gurudwara of Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana, hosted graduate students from the University of Saint Francis on February 10th. The evening included kirtan, a turban tying demonstration, a community meal and a lecture on current Sikh social-cultural issues. Thanks to Nicole Johnson Smith for the photo. Additional photos are below.

While he didn’t visit the Sikh faith’s holiest site during his trip to India two weeks ago, President Obama did create a bit of a stir as he openly advocated for religious freedom and peaceful coexistence of faiths in India, citing in his speech the mass murder of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in 2012: Obama said no society is immune from man’s darkest impulses, as he raised the 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin that killed six […]

Selected Costco locations in the United States will be carrying children’s titles My First Sikh Books and Lohri – The Bonfire Festival written by Parveen Kaur Dhillon. Check the My First Sikh Books Facebook page for more information.

After the trailer was released a couple of days ago, the short film Red, White, and Beard, has now been officially released on the internet and can be viewed for free. It follows Sikh cartoonist Vishavjit Singh “dressed as turbaned Captain America, around New York City for three days, capturing people’s reactions to a skinny Sikh man dressed as a classic American super hero.” Grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the results of Vishavjit’s experiment in challenging stereotypes.

On his state visit to India this week, President Barack Obama is not scheduled to make a visit to Harmandir Sahib (aka the Golden Temple), barring any unexpected developments. As he partakes in India’s Republic Day festivities in India’s capital, his itinerary seems to be focused on solidifying the business/political relationship between the US and India. As reported in the Washington Post: Officials said Obama and Modi are expected to conduct talks around the business climate, trade, climate change, Afghanistan and terrorism. […]

The northwestern state of Oregon is known for its liberal culture and voting patterns, but this predominantly white state has a significant history in racial segregation and white supremacy. In an article published on Gizmodo by Matt Novak (via Jeremy Adam Smith), we learn of the explicit racist history that was pervasive in Oregon at the time of its establishment as a state and how that legacy would play out to the present day, in an attempt by some quarters to create a […]

A recent decision by the US Supreme Court about the religious rights of inmates in US prisons may have future implications on the rights of Sikh inmates who wish to maintain their uncut hair or other articles of faith. In its recent decision regarding a Muslim inmate’s challenge to the State of Arkansas Department of Corrections policy requiring inmates to shave their beards, the Supreme Court recognized the realities around security concerns and whether these justified the violations of religious […]